(CNS): William Ian Rivers (38) has pleaded not guilty to killing Mark Travis “Hubba” Seymour (39) following a shooting at Super C’s on Watercourse Road in January. He has also denied having a gun or threatening another victim, despite being involved in a family hostage situation and a stand-off with the police in the immediate wake of the killing. The West Bay man appeared in court Friday, represented by defence attorney John Furniss, and pleaded not guilty to murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm and the unlawful use of the weapon during that stand-off.

He is expected to stand trial in the Grand Court in July. It is not yet clear how Rivers, who is remanded in custody, will be mounting his defence.

Rivers was arrested a few hours after Seymour was shot and killed outside the West Bay restaurant.

Witnesses said he arrived on bicycle, shot his victim, who was allegedly involved in with the mother of his child, and then fled to his family home just a few yards away where he barricaded himself in and where the stand-off began.

After several hours of a tense situation, with police surrounding the home where he reportedly held members of his own family at gunpoint, he was eventually persuaded to stand down by a local police officer and the weapon was recovered.